Wonders of Insect Architecture. 



dark winter months, safe out of reach of the frosts. 

 She stretches her cramped limbs in the glad warmth 

 of the spring sunshine, rubs herself down and washes 

 her face with the aid of her slender legs, and then, with 

 a flutter of her small but powerful wings, darts off 

 into the garden. Follow her, and we find that she 

 has not gone very far afield, but is anxiously and thor- 

 oughly exploring every foot of the sunny bank of the 

 hedge. She enters one small hole after another, only 

 to quickly reappear with a little dissatisfied buzz ; for 

 she is in the throes of house, or rather site, hunting, 

 seeking for a suitable position for the erection of her 

 nest. At last she disappears down a somewhat larger 

 hole, perhaps the entry to a deserted burrow of a field- 

 mouse, and remains out of view for some minutes. 

 Returning to the surface, she pops her head out, looks 

 eagerly all round, and then, as if satisfied with the 

 general surroundings as viewed from the dark entry, 

 emerges and once again proceeds with her toilet. It 

 is only a momentary rest a feminine sign of satisfac- 

 tion at the final selection of the building site. Once 

 more she disappears through the hole in the bank, and 

 could we follow her we should see that she is busy 

 within breaking away the soil, clearing away the debris, 

 which she brings to the surface piecemeal, until she 

 has fashioned a chamber to meet her immediate require- 

 ments. Then out into the sunlight once more, and a 

 few seconds spent in vigorous toilet operations to rid 

 her body and limbs of any clinging particles of dirt, 

 and then away on swiftly vibrating wings to the nearest 

 old wooden weathered fence that she can find. Every 

 seasoned paling is carefully examined, tapped by quiver- 



